Steal This Track: Isolated Mind, Jeremy Flood and Wire Faces

Steal a track from Isolated Mind's Satori LP today.Welcome to this week’s edition of Steal This Track, your weekly opportunity to abscond with fresh new music from some of Colorado’s hottest artists. This week, we’re thrilled to bring you unreleased tracks from inventive rockers Wire Faces and indie pop artists Jeremy Flood (a.k.a. Patrick McGuire of Flashbulb Fires). We’re kicking things off with ambitious hip-hop from Isolated Mind. Steal away!

Isolated Mind is a Denver-based producer and rapper who started making music when he was five years old and hasn’t stopped since. Though mostly known for his productions (under the name Heartbeats Production) for a number of local hip-hop acts, the young musician is also an impressive emcee in his own right. For proof, look no further than his latest album, “The Satori LP.”

Following the Buddhist themes of his previous release, “The Kensho LP,” Isolated Mind’s new collection is a journey into the artist’s own heart. Where kensho refers to self-aware enlightenment in Zen Buddhism, satori goes deeper, referring to a sudden flash of a-ha awareness of the true nature of all things. Whether Isolated Mind’s dark beats, introspective lyrics and confident flow achieve such an ambitious state is debatable, but “The Satori LP” is filled with memorable rhythms, sticky hooks and raps that aim high. You can grab the whole album absolutely free here, but before you commit, you might want to steal a little sample, like the self-deprecating, reflective “One Day.”

Jeremy Flood, a.k.a. Patrick McGuire of Flashbulb Fires, will release his debut LP next month, but you can steal a track today. Photo by Todd Roeth.
Jeremy Flood is also introspective and self-critical, but in a very different way. Patrick McGuire of indie pop outfit Flashbulb Fires chose the pseudonym Jeremy Flood to act as his avatar for his forthcoming concept album, “A Merciful,” which takes a critical, if empathetic, look at the lives of deeply Christian teenagers. The singer-songwriter — who was very religious into his 20s — has struggled with his Christian background frequently and publicly in his Flashbulb lyrics, but the Jeremy Flood project take the subculture of Young Life and its adherents as its sole subject, but with a lo-fi pop aesthetic that is a little less melodramatic than his band’s work can be.

McGuire played and recorded everything on “A Merciful” himself, giving the songs an intimate, labor-of-love feel. However, there’s also a playful, poppy energy to the songs that is uncannily reminiscent of Fountains of Wayne. “A Merciful” will be released in March, but lucky Reverb readers can get a sneak preview by stealing “Reese Roper,” named after the founder of Denver’s legendary Christian ska band, Five Iron Frenzy.

Though the new album won’t be released until a March 11 show at the Larimer Lounge, Wire Faces was kind enough to slip us a sneak preview. “Tame You” continues in the punky, dancey vein of the band’s debut, but also complicates the sound with hints of reggae, filtered through early Police and Gang of Four records. The result is potent, complex rock that is noisy, but still melodic and accessible. But you don’t have to take our word for it. Steal it for yourself.

If you like Steal This Track, you’re gonna love Steal This Track: a Reverb Dance Party at the Hi-Dive. We’re taking over the South Broadway indie rock institution this Thursday — and the last Thursday of every month — with special guests, giveaways, drink specials and more. This month, we’re proud to welcome KTCL’s Alf and Andy Rok of Flobots and Bop Skizzum to the decks. In the later hours, DJ Savior Breath (a.k.a. Reverb’s own Eryc Eyl) will turn the shindig into a pants-dropping dance party. And just like Steal This Track, it’s absolutely free. You won’t want to miss it.

Please note that downloads offered via Steal This Track are intended to whet your appetite, and are NOT CD-quality recordings. If you want those, please support the artists by buying their music and/or seeing them live.

If you’re a band or musician ready to expose your fresh sounds to the readers of Reverb, email your tracks — along with any interesting facts about them, as well as a photo or album art — to Eryc Eyl for consideration.

Eryc Eyl is a veteran music journalist, critic and Colorado native who has been neck-deep in local music for many years. Check out Steal This Track every Monday for local music you can HEAR, and the Mile High Makeout every Friday. Against his mother’s advice, Eryc has also been known to tweet. You can also follow Steal This Track on Twitter. Sorry, Mom.